Primary Menu

Prospective voters turned away

HUNDREDS of prospective voters in Bulawayo are failing to register for the forthcoming harmonised elections, after being turned away for failing to meet the stringent requirements.

BY MUSA DUBE

The Standard last week visited some mobile centres and met frustrated residents who criticised the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) for demanding “unnecessary” documents before one can be registered as a voter.

Prospective voters are required to produce various documents that include national identity cards or passports and proof of residencebefore they can get registered.

Tenants are also required to produce a confirmation letter from the owner of the house in addition to other documents such as their IDs, electricity and water bills.

However, the requirements did not go down well with many tenants, as they made up the bulk of those that were turned away.

“This is purely rigging. How can they demand proof of residence that bears our name when they know that the majority of us are lodgers and do not own houses? This is just a ploy to make sure that some of us in the urban areas do not vote during the elections,” complained Philemon Mhlanga of Mpopoma high-density suburb.

Mary Moyo of Magwegwe, said she was disappointed that her constitutional right to vote was shattered after being turned away from voting on similar grounds.

“I am just coming from Magwegwe Hall to register but I failed because they wanted proof of residence and a letter from my landlord. My landlord is in South Africa,” said Moyo.

On Friday, ZEC chairperson Justice Rita Makarau reportedly met political parties where she announced that ZEC has waived voter registration requirements for those without documentary proof of residence.

Now we can all understand why ZanuPF is so confident of winning. The hundreds of thousands of people being turned away in urban areas are the the ones who swung the election decisively in 2008 for MDC and surprisingly the two MDCs are not too worried about the the voters being turned away. They are in for a rude awakening.

The MDCs lost it on the appointments of ZEC. It was always going to be difficult to overcome a 3-0 first half lead. now Rita Makarau, another Mudede is the head of that zanu election commission. Another Kenya indeed

Can someone please find out why people are being made to complete ZANU PF papers after being allocated some pieces of land. This is happening now in most areas where they lost in the last election? Idle land is being taken from sitting tenants (this is state land) and given to party supporters. Why. Free and fair my foot.